Merced County, CA Property Maintenance: Weeds & Overgrown Grass (2026)

Merced County's Fire Department enforces weed and vegetation abatement through Ordinance 9.25 in its entirety across the unincorporated area. The ordinance requires that weeds, grass, vines or other growth capable of being ignited and endangering property be cut down and removed by the owner or occupant of the premises. The compliance standard is a 30-foot disced firebreak or a 50-foot mowed firebreak around all property lines and structures. Abatement must be maintained throughout the dry season — typically April 1 to November 1 — and is often not a one-time event: if cleared vegetation rains back and regrows, the owner must disc or mow a second time. Local fire engine companies begin inspections in May, with a secondary inspection about two weeks later, and the Prevention Office monitors parcels through November 1. Owners stay liable even if a hired contractor or sharecropper failed to do the work, and even while the property is in foreclosure. Burning of weed piles is prohibited — there are no burn days during the dry season, and burning questions are directed to the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. The same Ordinance 9.25 also reaches rubbish, debris, abandoned vehicles and tires.